1.1 current systems of representative and direct democracy

1.1

The UK is a

representative democracy

representative democracy

where the electorate elect politicians who make decisions on their behalf

Why choose a representative democracy?

There are many complicated political decisions to be made

job of politicians

acquire political understanding so they can make informed decisions in the interest of the nation

How does the electorate hold politicians accountable?

decide whether to renew the mandate of representatives through regular elections

What do MPs do in constituencies?

Spend a significant amount of time listening to the concerns of the people in public meetings and surgeries

What else should an mp consider when making decisions as well as the people’s opinions ?

Use their wider judgment to decipher if it represents their party manifesto and their wider understanding of an issue

An MP acting on their own accord is acting on what principle

The Burkean principle

How many MPs are there?

650

Other elected bodies that provide another layer of representation for the public?

Mayors and local councils

Advantages of representative democracy

Government is carried out by professional politicians who are required to be well informed and less likely to be swayed by emotion and ignore the complexity of a question

Example of why political expertise is needed

Before parliamentary bills are enacted they will have been drawn up by ministers and civil servants and been debated in both the House of Commons and House of Lords and further analysed in committee stage

In representative democracies elected politicians balance what?

Conlicting interests

Why is balancing conflicting interests important

It protects the rights of all citizens especially minorities and ensures implications of a decision for all members of a community have been thoroughly examined. Essentially prevents a tyranny of the majority

Disadvantages of representative democracy

Some argue that MPs only represent a metropolitan elite meaning they are disengaged from the public and can’t effectively represent their interests

Example of MPs being disengaged from public

2016 EU referendum 74% MPs voted remain while 52% voted leave. This shows the gap between understanding

Emma Goldman quote against representative democracy

“If voting changed anything they’d make it illegal”

Why do MPs have to declare their additional jobs?

To prevent conflict of interests and inability to understand constituents

Example of conflict of interest

Kwasi Kwarteng In 2022 failed to declare his personal financial interest in a technology company that was going to benefit from his proposed corporation tax changes. He was then referred to the parliamentary standards commissioner due to a breach of parliamentary rules

Example of MP resigning due to conflict of interest

2021 Owen Paterson resigned after being found by the parliament standards committee for lobbying on behalf of companies that employed him

Parliament is also unrepresentative due to the voting system …..?

First past the post

Why is FPTP criticised for being unrepresentative?

The conservative and Labour Party end up dominating the House of Commons at the expense of smaller parties. This affects representation despite High polling

2024 election unrepresentative

Conservative won 6.8 million votes (23%) and got 121 seats meanwhile labour 9.7 million votes (33%) but got over double the conservatives at 411 seats.

House of Lords unrepresentative

This is because they are unelected and therefore unaccountable to the public

2024 general election diversity

64 MPs identify as LGBTQ+, even previous Green Party leader Carla Denyer is bisexual

263 female MPs (41%)

14% MPs are from an ethnic minority

Argument against diversity

You don’t need to come from a minority to want to help them. For example David Cameron wasn’t gay but decriminalising gay marriage was legislated under his government

Uk representative democracy less likely to involve poorest in society

Only 2% of homeless people were registered to vote in 2018